Month: May 2014

The Fighter Collection and Eagle Dynamics announce DCS: F-86F Sabre, saying the next installment in their combat flight simulation series will take off in July of this year. They offer this teaser video showing the how the seminal jet fighter will appear in the game. Here’s word:

The Fighter Collection and Eagle Dynamics in cooperation with Belsimtek to release DCS: F-86F Sabre as a digital download in July 2014

The North American F-86F Sabre was the most capable western fighter of the early- to mid-1950s. This swept wing, single engine jet was the most important western aircraft of the Korean War and often tangled with Russian-made MiG-15s over the infamous “MiG Alley”. It was a hard struggle not only for the Korean sky, but also between two excellent aircraft builders of the East and West. In addition to its primary role as an air-to-air fighter, the Sabre could also carry bombs and air-to-ground rockets to attack ground targets.

The Belsimtek simulation of the Sabre is by far the most authentic recreation of this famous warbird to date. Feel what is to fly the Sabre with a professional level flight model, an interactive cockpit, fully functional weapons, a detailed damage model and a richly detailed aircraft. Experience the strengths and weaknesses of the Sabre in combat and find out why seasoned fighter pilots often look back at the Sabre as the most enjoyable aircraft they ever flew.

As part of DCS World, fly the F-86F Sabre in a fully realized combat environment with working weapon systems and capable air and ground threats.

Key Features of the DCS: F-86F Sabre:

Unmatched flight physics that allow you to truly feel what it’s like to fly this legend

Independent UK developer Rebellion has promised a significant announcement in the coming week for its award-winning World War II shooter series, Sniper Elite.

With Sniper Elite 3 releasing June 27th, gamers might be surprised to hear that the upcoming announcement is not about its forthcoming title, while the teaser artwork released only features the series iconic eagle motif.

Rebellion’s CEO and Creative Director Jason Kingsley explains:

“We couldn’t be more excited about Sniper Elite 3’s launch on June 27th. Naturally, being on five platforms – including the new consoles – means it’s had more attention than anything we’ve made before. We’ve been taken aback with the interest and reception so far.”

“But there’s always more work to be done getting the Sniper Elite name in the hearts and minds of gamers who are new to the IP, or aren’t aware of the stealth and emergent gameplay that surrounds the core sniping mechanics”

Check out these latest hardware announcements for today from around the web. Also included are some hardware news bits, and on some days, a few rumors tossed in for good measure. Click on the links below to read the official press release, visit the products web page, or to an independent news source.

On behalf of everyone at EA and Visceral Games, I’m fired up to confirm our next project – Battlefield Hardline. This is a brand new series in the Battlefield franchise, set against the backdrop of a genre we all love – the war on crime and the battle between cops and criminals.

Several years ago, I was at an internal EA meeting in Barcelona with creative leaders from across the company. It was here I met Karl Magnus Troedsson, the GM of DICE, for the first time, and we immediately began talking about games. I’ve always loved Battlefield and KM was a huge fan of Dead Space, so we started talking about different ways we could work together, different ways we could take Battlefield and action games in a new direction. And from that point, the project that would become Battlefield Hardline was born.

I wish I could tell you more now – more about the ways we are adding new twists and turns to the foundation of Battlefield multiplayer, more about how we’re bringing our strengths at Visceral to single player. But the wait won’t be too long – we’re looking forward to sharing more with you on June 9.

Bohemia Interactive and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) today shared a new video to raise awareness for the topic of ‘Health Care in Danger’. In the video, Christian Rouffaer – head of the ICRC’s international humanitarian law and video games project – discusses his role at the ICRC, the ICRC’s Health Care in Danger campaign, and the connection with Bohemia Interactive’s €500,000 Make Arma Not War contest.

The ICRC’s Health Care in Danger campaign, which is part of the organization’s many efforts to protect victims of war, aims to address the current violence against the health care sector – ranging from direct attacks to patients, medical staff and health-care facilities and medical transports, to denial of access to and forced entry and looting of health care facilities. The campaign was launched as a response to an uprising of illegal and violent acts that impede or prevent health care delivery.

Aside from developing practical solutions to improve the safety of health care, the ICRC is also committed to raising public awareness for the problem. This led to the unique collaboration with video game developer Bohemia Interactive, who is well-known for its award-winning Arma® military game series. Looking to create a change in virtual reality which can hopefully be carried into the real world, the two parties set up the Health Care in Danger Special Award as part of Bohemia Interactive’s €500,000 content creation contest for Arma 3. Given to the entry which covers the topic of ‘health care in danger’ the best, the winner(s) of the award will go on a one-week trip to an ICRC mission in a foreign country, organized by the ICRC.

“We’re looking for game content where medevac procedures are more complex. For example, a game mod where providing first-aid to a wounded enemy would be rewarded – or new hospital, ambulance, medical personnel and equipment models, which other players and mission builders can use to enrich their gameplay. We believe that you can get inspiration from many real-life stories from past and present conflicts”, said Christian Rouffaer, who also represents the ICRC in the Make Arma Not War jury.

The winners of the Make Arma Not War contest, including the winner(s) of the Health Care in Danger Special Award, will be announced on January 15th, 2015. More information about the Make Arma Not War contest, the rules, prizes, and categories is available on www.makearma.com.

Fight for Power and Glory in BattleCry Studios’ 32-Player Online Team Action Game

Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax® Media company, today announced BATTLECRY™, an all-new multiplayer action combat game featuring fast-paced and frenetic 32-player battles under development at BattleCry Studios.

BattleCry is the first project for the studio since it was formed in 2012 with one goal: to create fun, high-quality online experiences for a connected world. Led by long-time industry veteran Rich Vogel, the team at BattleCry Studios is comprised of seasoned developers with decades of experience working on critically-acclaimed action and competitive multiplayer franchises. Together they have created BattleCry – a fun and accessible free-to-play game that amplifies team-based combat by combining visceral brutality, striking art direction and competitive multiplayer action to create a refreshingly new gameplay experience.

Step into a bold, expressive world envisioned by Viktor Antonov (Half-Life 2, Dishonored) where gun powder has been banned following a cataclysmic world war at the dawn of the 20th century. Traditional warfare is now a relic of the past and all conflicts are settled head-on by elite teams of chosen warriors in sanctioned WarZones. Trained and bred for battle they face off for the glory of their nations.

Choose your faction and progress your warrior through the ranks. Each rank unlocks new abilities and effects allowing deep strategic builds for your warrior on every level. Risk life and limb as the powerful Royal Marines or the fearless Cossacks in imaginative WarZones each designed to combine positioning, spacing and verticality to redefine your core combat experience. Fight with transformative melee and ranged weapons that harness iron and energy and eviscerate your opponents with swords that transform into shields, bows that can punch an arrow straight through an armored skull or electrocute your foes with high powered blades crackling with electro-static energy.

“The BattleCry team is happy to unveil the game that bears our studio’s name,” said Rich Vogel, president and executive producer at BattleCry Studios. “We have been hard at work to create a fresh experience for gamers that brings together multiplayer action with visually stunning combat and are excited to share details about the game and have people play BATTLECRY in Bethesda’s booth at E3.”

The official announcement trailer can be seen today on the official BattleCry Website.

Check out these latest hardware announcements for today from around the web. Also included are some hardware news bits, and on some days, a few rumors tossed in for good measure. Click on the links below to read the official press release, visit the products web page, or to an independent news source.

The Haggard Games website now offers downloads of a free playable demo for Death to Spies III, their Smershy espionage sequel. Here is the description of the full game:

Death to Spies 3 is our new title for PC and XBOX360. The action of the game this time is taking place during the Cold War. Colonel Strogov and his new team are participating in a conflict between the two superpowers. Along with new characters, Victor Kovalev and Olga Godunova-Lopes, Strogov is going to have to complete a series of missions in Europe, US and Cuba.

The game is a third-person stealth action, where player will be able to control all three characters any time. Each of them have there own unique abilities, gadgets and weaknesses.

Battle Fleet 2 expands the original concept of turn based naval combat where the player controls the angle and power of their guns and the movement of the ship to include a campaign conquest mode in addition to stand alone scenarios. The combat system has been improved for faster and even more exciting battles and it all looks better than the original with the new graphical engine.

Additional improvements include better options for outfitting your ships, including the ability to place individual commanders with special abilities, expanded power-up cards to play, better multiplayer options, and an entirely new graphics engine. Battle Fleet 2 looks better, plays better, but is otherwise a true successor to the original best seller.

Battle Fleet 2 is a true naval combat sim set in the WW2 era. Players manually control the weapon loadout of their ships, selecting which guns to bring, setting what the angle and power of their shots are, and determining how the ships move and turn. Additionally carriers bring planes, bombing runs, and interception into battles taking place around island chains, which can help provide cover, blocking line of sight, or forcing enemies to run aground. All of this comes together in a fast paced battle in scenarios, campaign mode, or online against other players.

Wargaming today released the first installment from a series of developer diaries for World of Warships, taking an extensive look at the unique features of naval warfare, the huge fleet of combat vessels and their classes.

In the first episode, the World of Warships development team dives into the complex research that goes into creating and maintaining the game’s historical authenticity, as well as the tactical approaches for conquering the high seas with the different types of combat vehicles that players will have at their command, including the aircraft carriers, massive battleships, heavy cruisers, and the light and agile destroyers.

The series will continue to center on the upcoming naval action MMO game and the team behind it, focusing on each aspect of the project throughout its development.